A frightening scene played out at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California when a car suddenly entered an active taxiway and sped past several aircraft preparing for departure.
Car Speeds Past Planes On Taxiway At John Wayne Airport
Video shared online shows a white Toyota racing down Taxiway A while ramp workers shout and wave frantically for pilots to stop. The incident occurred at 1:12 pm on Monday, December 9, 2025. The car passed directly in front of a Frontier Airlines aircraft and close to several ground crew members who immediately realized something was very wrong.
Rijken Vanderweide, who recorder the video below, said:
“Me and all my co-workers were just like yelling, giving him the X, holding the wands, telling him to stop the plane, and then he zoomed right past. Honestly, if we didn’t tell that plane to stop, he came really close, and if no one noticed or stopped … he probably would’ve collided with that nose gear and possibly collapsed that front end of the plane.”
According to the airport, the driver was a contract security guard who had been stationed at an airfield access checkpoint. Deputies quickly detained him, and authorities say he appeared to be experiencing a medical emergency. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Airport operations were not suspended, even briefly.
In radio recordings released after the incident, an air traffic controller can be heard warning a Southwest Airlines crew to hold position. The controller stated, “Southwest 1057 hold position, there is a high speed chase on the taxiway,” which underscores how alarming the situation was in real time.
Airfield Access And Safety
Incursions like this are rare, but they highlight the importance of strict airfield access protocols. Every ground vehicle necessarily moves at slow, controlled speed on taxiways. A car suddenly appearing at highway speed on pavement meant for aircraft presents an obvious hazard to planes, ground workers, and the driver himself.
Here, though, it’s hard to say there was any security breakdown. It wasn’t someone who snuck into the airport for a joy ride, but a security guard who had legal access to the field and seemed to be experiencing a medical emergency (although it would not surprise me if it was some adverse reaction to drugs…just a theory). There was no breakdown in the system; these sorts of things happen from time to time and seem impossible to me to prevent.
Thankfully, the issue was so promptly resolved that there was not a single flight delay stemming from the incident.
CONCLUSION
No one was hurt, but a car speeding down a taxiway at John Wayne Airport is a recipe for disaster. Quick action by ramp workers and air traffic control prevented a possible collision and allowed normal operations to continue. It isn’t clear what was going on with the driver, but he was hospitalized and I wish him all the best in his recovery.
screen grab: Rijken Vanderweide
“Sky King” of the tarmac…